New Marvel superhero movie ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ confirms director

New Marvel superhero movie Guardians Of The Galaxy now has a confirmed director.

The film, which Marvel president Kevin Feige hopes will kickstart a big screen franchise similar to Thor, Iron Man and Captain America, will be directed by James Gunn. Gunn’s previous credits include Super, the 2010 superhero comedy starring Ellen Page and The Office‘s Rainn Wilson.

Rumours had already linked Gunn to the project, but the director made the news official yesterday (September 18) in a post on Facebook. He wrote: “Last night I got the go-ahead from Kevin Feige to let you all know that, yes, indeed, I am rewriting and directing Guardians Of The Galaxy. As a lifelong lover of Marvel comics, space epics, AND raccoons, this is the movie I’ve been waiting to make since I was nine years old.”

The Guardians Of The Galaxy film will feature a team of superheroes – including the memorably-named Rocket Raccoon – who appear in a 2008 comic book series of the same name. Marvel formally announced plans to make Guardians Of The Galaxy into a movie at San Diego’s Comic-Con festival in July this year (2012).

Several draft scripts have already been commissioned, but Gunn has been given creative control over the project, similar to Joss Whedon‘s arrangement with The Avengers franchise. Guardians Of The Galaxy is scheduled to open in cinemas in August 2014 – after the next Iron Man, Thor and Captain America films, but before Whedon’s sequel to The Avengers.